A technology outage caused chaos around the world Friday, taking health, broadcasting, travel, and retail systems offline.
CrowdStrike, a cybersecurity firm used by companies and services around the world, is experiencing a defect in its computers running Microsoft Windows. The company’s CEO says the outage is not due to a cyberattack or security threat.
Several major systems in BC are affected, impacting everything from healthcare to air travel.
Hospital computer systems not functioning normally
BC’s Health Minister Adrian Dix said the government first learned of the disruption affecting hospitals and other health infrastructure overnight on Thursday. It didn’t affect BC’s 911 emergency calling, but did impact computer systems at some of the province’s clinics and hospitals.
“We know that this disruption is impacting some patients and their families, and health authorities are working to get their systems back up as soon as possible,” Dix said.
Staff with the Provincial Health Services Authority continue to liaise with folks at CrowdStrike to find solutions.
Both Vancouver Coastal Health and Fraser Health confirmed their systems were impacted.
“We have implemented contingency plans to ensure that our health care services remain operational and that patient care is not disrupted to the best of our ability,” VCH.
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Fraser Health reported its computer systems were also impacted by the Crowdstrike outage.
Fraser Health
Vancouver International Airport warns of flight cancellations
Air travel around the world has been impacted by the CrowdStrike outage, and YVR is no exception. The airport tweeted Friday that travellers should expect flight delays and cancellations.
“A global IT issue is causing disruptions to many technology systems, including airlines,” YVR said. “Passengers are encouraged to check flight status with their airline before coming to the airport.”
A global IT issue is causing disruptions to many technology systems, including airlines. Flight delays and cancellations may occur. Passengers are encouraged to check flight status with their airline before coming to the airport.
ā YVR (@yvrairport) July 19, 2024
Morning coffee runs disrupted
The outage is also taking some retail sales systems offline. Customers who logged into their Starbucks app Friday morning got a pop-up informing them mobile ordering was not available.
Starbucks
This morningās outage was so annoying. I had to actually place my @Starbucks order in person like a caveman.
ā Derek Daczewitz (@DerekDaczewitz) July 19, 2024
CrowdStrike’s CEO has apologized for the difficulties the outage caused and said the company is committed to working with clients to bring their systems back online.
Today was not a security or cyber incident. Our customers remain fully protected.
We understand the gravity of the situation and are deeply sorry for the inconvenience and disruption. We are working with all impacted customers to ensure that systems are back up and they canā¦
ā George Kurtz (@George_Kurtz) July 19, 2024
How has the CrowdStrike outage impacted you? Let us know in the comments.